The intersection of Sports & Islam

Former soccer star Nathan Ellington’s journey to Islam

Toward the end of his 16-year professional playing career, Nathan Ellington established the Association of Muslim Footballers. The association’s mission is to support Muslim pro soccer players and “provide a platform for professional footballers to share their experiences of overcoming barriers with aspiring footballers, and young people in general.”

Ellington played most of his career in his native England, with one brief stint in Greece. He scored 126 goals and he won a league championship with Wigan Athletic (England) in 2003. Ellington converted to Islam, created the AMF in 2011, and played his last pro match in 2013.

In this video from 2015, Ellington shares the story of how he came to embrace Islam: